Lead Poisoning

Halloween preparations are in full swing in our house. But I have a confession to make -- I force a stiff smile when my kids squeal in excitement about the trick or treating. Because if there's anything that raises my Mommy hackles, it's Halloween. And now, Halloween just got a little scarier...

From the screaming children being tested for lead in this African city, to the clouds of toxic dust blown across soccer fields, streets and courtyards, this is one of the world's worst lead poisoning epidemics.

It was only in 1991, when the daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico was found to have high lead in her blood, that the outcry began to grow in both the United States and Mexico to end the use of lead glaze on pottery.

The damage to the mental and physical health of children and adults from lead, chromium and other toxic wastes has emerged as equal to the risk of malaria in three Asian countries -- India, Indonesia and the Philippines -- a new report shows.

I can imagine a world where children are not threatened by harmful chemicals in their daily lives, where simple acts of precaution are commonplace, and where our families' health matters more than short-term profits.